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So I Wanna Kill the Planaria...

rich_one

rich_one

Members
I am finally going to clean out and refill my 125 gallon tank so I can get fish in it. It has planria in it. I want to kill them. The fast way. It has a Fluval FX5 filter on it. So...

How much clorox can I run through the system and for how long to kill the planaria. Or is that a totally bad idea, should/can I use something else?

-Rich
 
msjinkzd

msjinkzd

invert junkie
you can use fenbendazole (flubendazole) but it limits your ability to keep snails in teh future
 
Tony

Tony

Alligator Snapping Turtle/Past Pres
I thought that other than being unsightly, planaria won't mess with your fish??
 
UNCLERUCKUS

UNCLERUCKUS

"THE ALL POWERFUL Q !!
I DID SOME READING LAST NIGHT AND IF THEY GET INTO YOUR FISHES GILLS THEY CAUSE IRRITATION AND YOU MAY SEE YOUR FISH FLASHING/RUBBING ON THINGS. I GOOGLED IT IT EVEN NAMED SOME FISH AND SNALS WHO EAT THEM. CHECK THIS OUT THE TOXIN THAT COMES FROM THESE GUYS IS HARMFUL TO GHOST SHRIMP. INTERESTING.
 
Avatar

Avatar

Plenipotentiary-at-large
Many species will eat them, especially if you don't feed them for a couple days...

..which is probably a good idea because planaria are generally not supposed to be a problem unless there's lots of uneaten/undecomposed organic matter lying around. Chances are good you're overfeeding and the abundance of planaria is the result. You might get some really honking big Corydoras that won't get eaten but that will snarfle your planaria - together they can function like a two-stage/party clean-up crew.
 
rich_one

rich_one

Members
LOL... I'm pretty sure it was the less-than-stellar maintenance schedule on my FX5 that got them started!

I'd love to try those cories, man... but I just do not have the $30 a pop right now. To say that times are tight would be among the biggest understatements in the history of mankind.

-Rich
 
Avatar

Avatar

Plenipotentiary-at-large
Big C. aeneus/paleatus would do just fine...

...wasn't trying to sell you on the robustus, just saying that from my perspective it's like having a built-in supply of live food for your tank that is entirely manageable - for someone who travels as much as I do that's pretty compelling.
 
rich_one

rich_one

Members
Avatar said:
...wasn't trying to sell you on the robustus, just saying that from my perspective it's like having a built-in supply of live food for your tank that is entirely manageable - for someone who travels as much as I do that's pretty compelling.
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My bad, dude... didn't mean to misinterpret your post... but I was definitely curious about thos robustus! :D I'll get around to checking those things out some time though!

-Rich
 
ddavila06

ddavila06

Members
rich_one said:
How much clorox can I run through the system and for how long to kill the planaria. Or is that a totally bad idea, should/can I use something else?

-Rich
Click to expand...

lol, that part just so funny!!
does your tank have regular gravel? do you understand your filter??
i did bleach my turtle tank a few times for cleanningess issues and some wormy things inth ere...but my filter is super easy to take apart to rinse, change media, etc..and i only have regular peebles inmy tank, nothing complicated.. i used hot water btw
 
rich_one

rich_one

Members
ddavila06 said:
lol, that part just so funny!!
does your tank have regular gravel? do you understand your filter??
i did bleach my turtle tank a few times for cleanningess issues and some wormy things inth ere...but my filter is super easy to take apart to rinse, change media, etc..and i only have regular peebles inmy tank, nothing complicated.. i used hot water btw
Click to expand...
Hey Damien... LOL... no, I understand my filter. I have an FX5, and it is setup in sort of a non-convenient way... just long story, really. Long story short, I lacked in the area of cleaning it as regularly as I should have, and so I'm sure they began there.

-Rich
 
ddavila06

ddavila06

Members
rich_one said:
Hey Damien... LOL... no, I understand my filter. I have an FX5, and it is setup in sort of a non-convenient way... just long story, really. Long story short, I lacked in the area of cleaning it as regularly as I should have, and so I'm sure they began there.

-Rich
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then i wouldnt suggest the bleach because if the filter is not properly cleaned then there is a risk of contamination...just me
btw, i clean my filters like twice a year and even less...maybe you got something that was contaminated, i doubt they just appeared..:unsure:
 
Avatar

Avatar

Plenipotentiary-at-large
They definitely did not "just appear"...

...parthenogenesis is a none-such. Probably vectored in on some plants. The filter however could definitely have acted as a "homestead" when they arrived that evolved into a colony.

Time to throw down: Just what did you find when you opened up that filter and after how long? Do tell - pretend its a bedtime story for future and budding aquarists that has a happy ending, after all, it's just a few hundred or thousand (tens of thousands!) of invertebrates we're talking about, right? Or was it like as a miniature sci-fi thriller in there? You are hereby authorized poetic license to embellish your account.:D
 
msjinkzd

msjinkzd

invert junkie
i still think if you want to treat with something,panacur is your best bet as long as you are not keeping invertebrates in that tank.
 
msjinkzd

msjinkzd

invert junkie
its hard to say. There have been mixed results and it probably depends on teh species. Common snails (MTS, ramshorns, and pond snails) seem impervious. Apple snails and nerites seem to have problems for quite the long term after its use. They become weakened, stop feeding, and die. That being said, it probably also depends on your filter media. Most of the people I know that have had issues use predominantly sponge/bio filtration. I would imagine if you were running a good chemical media (purigen, charcoal, polyfilter) the results may be different though I have not tested this myself.
 
A

andrewdo124

Members
UNCLERUCKUS said:
I DID SOME READING LAST NIGHT AND IF THEY GET INTO YOUR FISHES GILLS THEY CAUSE IRRITATION AND YOU MAY SEE YOUR FISH FLASHING/RUBBING ON THINGS. I GOOGLED IT IT EVEN NAMED SOME FISH AND SNALS WHO EAT THEM. CHECK THIS OUT THE TOXIN THAT COMES FROM THESE GUYS IS HARMFUL TO GHOST SHRIMP. INTERESTING.
Click to expand...

DQ, would you mind sending me, or pointing me in the right direction, this list? I'm thinking of setting up a "refugium" type of side tank for small fish and plants to help kill off some of my planaria. I'm having problems finding fish big enough to survive in the main tank that will eat the planaria or clean up food crumbs. they may be "harmless" but they make taking macro shots annoying!

I don't even feed my fish that much/often...
 
rich_one

rich_one

Members
BTW... just as an update... gotta love Clorox! I ain't seen a snail or planaria since the big bleach out! LOL...

-Rich
 
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